Equipment for hearses



June 13, 1939. YODER EQUIPMENT FOR HEARSES Filed Feb. 3, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l A fiorneys 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Inventor R. J. YODER EQUIPMENT FOR HEARsEs Filed Feb. 5, 1939 June 13,

Patented June 13, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in hearse furnishings or equipment.

Hearses as commonly constructed embody a raised bed, or table, on the floor thereof provided with rollers in the upper face thereof originally designed for supporting caskets slid thereon. Modern practice among morticians requires the use of a wheeled truck, or cot, for transporting the corpse. In order to introduce the truck, or cot, into the hearse, it must be pushed over the rollers and fastened in place by hooks, or similar couplings, attached to the walls of the hearse. This procedure is not reliable, nor convenient, and tends to mar the interior of the hearse.

Having the foregoing in mind, the principal object of my invention is to provide inexpensive, practical means for use in such hearses to facilitate loading the wheeled truck, or cot, into the 20 hearse, expeditiously and conveniently Without necessitating pushing the same over the rollers, together with improved means for anchoring the truck, or cot, in place against displacement.

To the accomplishment of the above, and subordinate objects presently appearing, a preferred embodiment of my invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, set forth in detail in the succeeding description and defined in the claims appended hereto.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in vertical longitudinal section of a hearse equipped according to my invention.

Figure 2 is a view in horizontal section taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1 looking downwardly as indicated by the arrows, the truck, or cot, being removed.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in transverse section taken on the line 33 of Figure 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view partly in side elevation and partly in section of the front stop, and taken on the line 44 of Figure 3 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 5 is a detail view in longitudinal section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows and drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 6 is a similar view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is another similar view taken on the line 'l'l of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Figure 8 is a detail view in transverse section taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, I designates the floor of the hearse, 2 the side walls, and 3 the usual rear doors. The usual raised bed, 5 or table, is represented at 4. The bed has suitably mounted in the upper face thereof parallel side rows of transversely extending, equi-distantly spaced rollers 5 for the purpose previously explained. The truck, or cot, commonly used for 10 loading a corpse in the hearse is shown generally at 6 in Figure 1. The truck 6 comprises a horizontal frame, represented at 1, corner posts upstanding from said frame, as at 8, and corner caster Wheels as at 9.

According to my invention the hearse is equipped with a truck supporting runway comprising a pair of parallel laterally spaced track members [0 extending longitudinally of the hearse and adapted to be supported by the side 20 rows of rollers 5 respectively. The track members l0, each comprises an elongated tread part I l of flat metal having an upturned front end l2 and a laterally flaring downturned rear end I 3, together with a narrow upturned edge flange I4 extending along the sides thereof and around the front end l2 and tapering down at the rear end 13.

On each side of each track member l2 are front, rear and intermediate bearing brackets I5, l6 and I1 upstanding from the edge flange M and suitably secured thereto as by welding, not shown. A pair of front and rear rod-like guard rails I8 and I9 are rotatably mounted on each side of each track member ID in end to end relation, the front rail l8 between the front and intermediate bearing brackets I5 and I1, and the rear rail l9 between the intermediate and rear brackets ll and I6. Screw plugs threaded into the front and rear bearing brackets l5 and I6, as at 20, and having needle bearing ends, as at 2!, seating in correspondingly shaped sockets 22 in the rails l8 and I9, support the front end of each front rail [8 and the rear end of each rear rail I9.

Similar plugs threaded into the intermediate sertion of pins 3|, therethrough, into selected apertures 29, said pins being attached to the cross bars 25, 26 by chains 32. Preferably each cross bar 25, 26 is provided therein with a pair of guide lugs 33 arranged upon opposite sides of the aperture 30 of the bar and for guiding the pins 3! to said aperture. 7

One of the track members In is equipped with means for locking the truck 6 in position thereon against rolling and comprises a pair of front and rear stops 34, and 35, respectively.

The front stop 34 comprises a standard 36 arising from the track member ID and suitably secured at its lower end to the flange [4 thereof at the outer side of said member, the standard having a T head 31 longitudinally slotted, as at 31. A U-shaped yoke 39 is slidably mounted on the T head3'l to adjust along the same into different set positions as by the bolt 40 passing through said yoke and slot and having a wing nut 4| thereon, said yoke being arranged to straddle one front corner post of the truck 6 under forward movement of the latter on the runway to thereby limit such movement of said truck. The yoke 39 has a square intermediate part 42 fitting into the slot 31 to prevent said yoke from turn- The rear stop 35 also comprises a standard 44 arising from the track member 10 similarly tostandard 36 and having a cross piece 45 suitably secured to the upper end thereof. A U clip 46 is pivoted at one end, as at 41, to one end of the cross piece 45 for lateral swinging movement to be clasped around one rear corner post 8 of the truck 6 to thereby lock said truck to the standard 44. A bolt 48 having a wing nut 49 thereon is pivoted, as at 5fi,'to the outer end of the clip 46 to be swung into a slot, not shown, in the cross piece 45 and thereby lock the clip to said piece.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suffice to impart a clear understanding of my invention since the use and operation of the parts have been set forth in connection with the construction and relation thereof.

Manifestly the invention, as described, is susceptible of modification without departing from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim isl. The combination with a hearse, and a wheeled truck for transporting a corpse into the hearse, of a runway structure in said hearse comprising a pair of track members extending along opposite sides of the hearse, respectively, in parallel relation over the bottom of the latter, a pair of front and rear cross bars connecting the front and rear ends of said members together, respectively, said members having mounted thereon along the sides thereof rotatable guard rails for guiding the wheels of the truck along said members, and means to anchor said runway to said bottom in different set positions, along said bottom.

2. The combination with a hearse, and a wheeled truck for transporting a corpse into the hearse, of a runway structure in said hearse comprising a pair of track members extending along opposite sides of the hearse, respectively, in parallel relation over the bottom of the latter, a pair of front and rear cross bars connecting the front and rear ends of said members together, respectively, said members having mounted thereon along the sides thereof rotatable guard rails for guiding the wheels of the truck along said members, and means to anchor said runway to said bottom in different set positions along said bottom, said track members being of relatively different widths, whereby said runway is adapted to accommodate thereon trucks of different widths and for guiding the same in a straight path.

RALPH JOHN YODER. 

